'Hockey Day in America' scores significant viewership gains

by jmaloni

Press release

Thu, Feb 21st 2013 04:00 pm

The NBC Sports Group's coverage of the third iteration
of "Hockey Day in America" this past Sunday scored with viewers as the second
game of its doubleheader on NBC was up 31 percent compared to last season,
while NBC Sports Network's evening game was up 200 percent vs. a comparable
2012 game. Local market ratings were also impressive, highlighted by Chicago,
which posted the market's best-ever rating for an NHL regular-season game on
NBC, excluding Winter Classics. Final viewership for NBC's first game will be
available on Friday.

Kings-Blackhawks
(NBC Game 2)

NBC's late-game coverage, in which the Chicago
Blackhawks defeated the visiting Los Angeles Kings, 3-2, averaged 1.81 million
viewers and a 1.15 household rating (3:30-6:02 p.m. ET). Viewership was up 31
percent compared to last year's late game (1.38 million, Boston-Minnesota).

The New York Rangers 2-1 victory over the Washington
Capitals was watched by 609,000 viewers (6-8:39 p.m. ET), a 200 percent
increase vs. last year's game, which was played in the same time slot (203,000,
New Jersey-Montreal).

The New York market posted a 1.84 rating for the game,
second-best ever for a Rangers regular-season game on NBC Sports Network in
which the team did not play either the Devils or Islanders. Washington posted a
1.95.

Penguins-Sabres
(NBC Game 1)

Final viewership for NBC's coverage of the first game
of the doubleheader, in which the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo
Sabres, 4-3, will be available on Friday. However, local ratings are in and
Pittsburgh posted a 15.2 rating, while Buffalo scored a 16.0, the highest
rating of any market for any NHL game during the weekend.

NBC Sports Group celebrated the third annual "Hockey
Day in America" on Sunday, Feb. 17, by delivering nine hours of hockey coverage
on NBC and NBC Sports Network, including numerous features that told the story
of America's passion for hockey, weaved within an NHL tripleheader that
featured six U.S. teams.